A chat with Ralph at Grain of Truth Bakery

As many of you know we had been looking for a sourdough bakery for a long time so when Dave at Lincs Table told us he would be working with Grain of Truth Bakery, Lincoln, we were thrilled!

I am sure you will all agree the bread has been sensational since we started and let’s not get into how amazing the pastries are! We wanted to thank Ralph for all his hard work and to share some information about him and the bakery so we sent him a few questions to get to know more.

Image above by Lincs Table

Please tell us about Grain of Truth Bakery and how it came to being and when?

I worked as a baker at Vine’s Bakery. In July 2022 Vine’s closed down and I was let go. During the time Vine’s was open there was a pandemic, a grain shortage followed by an energy crisis. Like a ship coming out of battle through a storm, we knew it may have been headed for our final fight. But we went ahead, fully prepared for what may come. We worked right up to the last day delivering products that were to the highest standard, even when we knew it was over.

I had already begun to put together a business plan, because I was determined to continue baking artisanal bread no matter what.

Whilst we cleaned down after our final shift Adam, the owner of Bread+Cheese, approached me about opening a new bakery. So, we met up for a coffee and realised we had both been putting together a business plan for a bakery.

We had two halves of the same plan.

I had planned the production side and Adam had the sales and utilities worked out.

We went away to think things through and set a date to meet again. We met at Adam’s unit on the Allenby estate, and after another chat I told Adam that “if I say no to this, I will regret it for the rest of my life”.

Please tell us a little bit about your background and how you came to baking Sourdough

Further back than I can remember, my parents tell me that; in order to keep me quiet while my Mom was cooking she used to have to let me stir the pots on the stove while standing on a chair. My mom always cooked everything from scratch and I was completely fascinated by everything that went on in a kitchen. Like I can’t remember learning how to walk: I can’t remember my Mom teaching me to cook, because I was so young. Before I could ride a bike or recite the whole alphabet, I could correctly and hygienically stock a fridge, safely handle raw meat, prepare most vegetables, and make a bechamel: and I have my Mom to thank for that.

When I was a bit older; (if it was my turn with the TV remote) I would put on cooking shows constantly and I used to ask my parents to buy me BBC Good Food Magazine. But as a teenager being a chef seemed too much like hard work so food was just a hobby. I always loved watching River Cottage and had a strong fascination with more obscure, traditional and complicated food and drink. Things my mum described as “too much mess” to do at home.

My first job when I was 17 was as a Kayaking and windsurfing instructor, my love of food made me a little too fat for that to be a viable career long term. So I went to university to study journalism which is how I came to be in Lincoln and when I couldn’t stomach that anymore I dropped out and got a job working as a chef, several years later lockdown gave me the time I needed to finally explore baking sourdough at home which gave me a taste for becoming a baker. That combined with the fact that being a Chef really is too much like hard work.

Which is your favourite loaf and how do you like to serve it best yourself?

My favourite is the sesame bloomer, which isn’t even one of the sourdoughs. I love it with butter and cheap nasty bacon grilled for a long time on one side so it’s half crispy and half soft. Dipped in a runny egg yolk then dipped in some brown sauce.

What is your favourite part of running your own bakery? 

Getting to do things my way, one of my customers who used to be a sous chef (so he was my boss) said to me recently that I was not very good at being told what to do.

Hardest part of running your own bakery? 

When the products turn out how I want them, they weirdly just become products on a shelf but when they don’t turn out exactly how I want them I really focus on them and they feel like part of myself, a part that I am ashamed of.

What is your greatest wish for the future of the bakery? 

I really want to work with local farmers and millers more. If I dared to dream big, I would want everything to be made from grain grown by local farmers. I really think it should be possible. I can’t throw a stone without hitting a farm in Lincolnshire.

Anything else you’d like to share!!! 

Yes, there are loads of small batch bakers nearby, somebody could probably eat sourdough every day for a month without visiting the same bakery twice in Lincolnshire. So go and visit Sonya at Greenfield Bakers where she bakes in a real woodfired oven, which I want to have a go with but I haven’t had the time.  Ruralfabulous.co.uk

Try the Botanical Sourdough (even healthier than regular sourdough) baked by Julia at the Dinky Green Kitchen.

Yulia does so much you would think she has a bakehouse the size of ours but it’s all home-made!  Yulia Millush Baking is the reason you go to Caistor market.

If anyone wants to find more contact Lincolnshire Food Partnership they will point you in the right direction.

Also a thank you to all the Shaw’s customers, especially the ones who were so bold as to demand more variety. It helped me build up a working relationship with Lincs Table and trail new products with them.

Follow Grain of Truth Bakery on social media:

Facebook: @gotbakery

Instagram: @grainoftruthbakery @gotbakery

 

Ordering Details for Grain of Truth Bakery at Shaw’s

 

Pre-orders for the Grain of Truth delivery on a Friday lunchtime need to be sent in by 4pm Monday please.

We do order a selection of spares for the shop but only a small amount to avoid waste so to avoid disappointment send your order in to teamshawfruitandveg@gmail.com , leave a voicemail at 01507 327 395 or order with a member of the team in the shop.

A list of what is available is below.

The delivery usually gets to us between 10am and 12 noon but there sometimes can be delays so watch out for the post to see when it has arrived!

Special:

-Harissa Focaccia £4.50

Bread:

-White Sourdough £4.50

-New York Sour £4.50

-Sesame Bloomer £4.50

Viennoiserie:

-Pain au chocolat £2.50

-Croissants £2.30

-Almond croissants £2.50

-Chocolate knots £3

-Chelsea Buns £3